Taqi al-Din

Known for

Istanbul observatory (1577); early description of a steam turbine

Biography

Ottoman astronomer and engineer, chief astronomer to Sultan Murad III.

Contributions

• Founded the Istanbul observatory, demolished a few years later
• Described a simple steam turbine used to turn a roasting spit (1551)
• Wrote on mechanical clocks and used them for astronomical timing

Major works

• Al-Turuq al-Saniyya fi al-Alat al-Ruhaniyya (on machines)